Mara Jade: The Emperor's Hand
Who is Mara Jade? Before she became a mother to Ben Skywalker, before she became a Jedi Master, before she became Mara Jade Skywalker, and before she became a smuggler for Talon Karrde, she was the Emperor's Hand.
What better way to tell Mara Jade's background than Timothy Zhan and Michael A. Stackpole? Zhan first created Mara Jade in the Thrawn Trilogy that helped made her well known. While her background was touched on in the trilogy, it wasn't fully explored till now. This tale takes place around the events before and during Return of the Jedi and one year later. The story itself is simple and by the time you finish reading this your reaction might be, "That's it?!", but it's what Mara goes through that makes it complex and compelling to read. The story itself is in her own thoughts and actions.
All Mara Jade has known is to serve the Emperor. Like another familiar character, Kir Kanos, she is willing to sacrifice her own life in order to serve the Emperor. As Emperor Palpatine stated, she's not exactly a Sith, or a Dark Jedi. She has some knowledge of the Force along with using a lightsaber. Unlike Darth Vader, she's the Emperor's personal assassin to deploy in secret and she is very dedicated to him and her missions. As already stated in The Thrawn Trilogy, Mara's first assassination attempt on Luke Skywalker actually goes back to Return of the Jedi at Jabba the Hutt's palace. But that's not exactly what this story is about. This is about her trying to finish what she started with a mission involving Black Nebula that took place afterward. Mara Jade doesn't simply carries out a mission, she sets her mind completely on it. But with this particular mission to assassinate Black Nebula's leader, she finds the mission too easy, to the point where can't stop thinking about it afterward. And even after the Emperor's death, she becomes determined to carry out not only his will to kill Skywalker, but to find closure with her previous mission.
While Mara Jade is dedicated to the Emperor, she shows a complex personality. She's a harsh, cold, individual, who's constantly fighting, but deep down, she's a compassionate person. She does treat those who help her out with respect as shown later in the story. However, she does seem to show remorse when it comes to innocent lives.
Besides Mara Jade, another female character makes her presence known is Ysanne Isard. She's not a new character in the Star Wars Folklore as her character is much more expanded in the novels. Still, she's somewhat of a rival towards Mara Jade when it comes to serving and being dedicated towards the Emperor.
Carlos Ezquerra, who's well known for his Judge Dredd artwork, does the artwork for this series.
What I really like about Ezquerra's take on Jade is the different outfits she wears. While Mara Jade is a beautiful woman, Ezquerra doesn't overdo it when it comes to sexual appeal. Ezquerra always portray Jade with a bitter expression on her face, and rarely any other expression. Even the spaceships look great as well. The artwork still holds up even now. The cover artwork by Killian Plunkett is a nice treat as well. The only issue I have with Ezquerra's artwork is Mara Jade's overall look. She looks older than what she appears to be.
Some problems with this book goes towards Mara Jade thought bubbles. This woman talks to herself constantly. Don't misunderstand, the speech bubbles help characterize Mara Jade as a person, because she doesn't talk much to other characters unless it's straight to the point.
Overall:
This is a great book for Mara Jade fans to pick up along with any other Star Wars fan to check out. There should be more comic books featuring this woman.